Keane lauded his team for their persistence and work-rate, particularly in midfield, and reserved special praise for Wigan Athletic’s James McCarthy.

He added: "James McCarthy was great. I thought he was the one pushing on, running up against them. He stopped them from playing.

“You can’t praise our midfielders enough. We addressed before the game how to play with the extra man, with me coming back with James and Greeny [Paul Green], and how to make it difficult for them. We certainly did that.”